Display device

ABSTRACT

A mounting bracket for a showcard, the bracket having arms which converge towards their free ends and cooperate with similarly shaped edge portions of the showcard which is introduced between the arms by flexing the bracket. The showcard has a number of such edge portions to allow it to be variously engaged with the bracket so that printing on it will be properly displayed no matter whether the bracket is attached to an upright surface or stands on or depends from a horizontal surface.

United States Patent 1 Lyles June 19, 1973 [S4] DISPLAY DEVICE 2,013,041 9/1935 Edwards 40/125 H [75] Inventor: George Albert Lyles, Stanmore, 3,216,580 11/1965 er 40/l6.4

England FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS Assignee: Trendmark Limited, Lcmdon 6,777 3/1906 Great Britain 16.4/

England Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell [22] Filed: Apr. 6, 1971 Assistant Examiner-Wenceslao J. Contreras [21] pp No: 131,634 Attorney-Samuelson & Jacob [57] ABSTRACT Foreign Application Priority Data A mounting bracket for a showcard, the bracket having Apr. 17, 1970 Great Britain 18,530/70 arms which converge towards their free ends and cooperate with similarly shaped edge portions of the show- [52] US. Cl. 40/10 card which is introduced between the arms by flexing [51] Int. Cl. G091 3/18 the bracket. The showcard has a number of such edge [58] Field of Search 40/10, 16, 16.4, portions to allow it to be variously engaged with the 40/17, 1 1, 128, 125 H; 248/469, 473 bracket so that printing on it will be properly displayed no matter whether the bracket is attached to an upright [56] References Cited surface or stands on or depends from a horizontal sur- UNITED STATES PATENTS face- 1,l87,0l5 6/1916 Smith 40/125 H X 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures DISPLAY DEVICE This invention relates to a display device comprising a showcard and a mounting bracket by which the showcard can be releasably secured to a supporting surface.

The principal aim of the invention is to provide a mounting bracket which, in use, is permanently secured to the supporting surface or rests thereon and with which a showcard is quickly and replaceably engageable.

According to the invention, the mounting bracket comprises a web for resting on or attaching to the supporting surface and two arms extending from the web at a spacing from one another so as releasably to receive and hold opposed edges of the showcard between each other with the plane of the showcard substantially normal to the respective planes of the arms and the web, wherein the arms converge towards their free ends and the web and/or at least one arm is flexible to enable the arms to be splayed sufficiently to allow introduction of the showcard therebetween.

The invention also extends to a display device comprising the combination of such a mounting bracket with a showcard. Preferably, the showcard is of a symmetrical shape and has at least one pair of opposed sides with diverging edges which are releasably received between the arms of the mounting bracket and of which the divergence is complementary to the convergence of the arms of the bracket.

An example of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a display device before the showcard is attached to the mounting bracket;

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the FIG. 1 device, and

FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the device.

A plastics mounting bracket 1 comprises a flexible web 2 and substantially rigid arms 3 which converge towards their free ends and extend at equal inclinations from the web. Each arm is moulded along its full length with two ribs 4 which define between each other a loeating groove 5 for a plastics or cardboard showcard 6. The showcard is symmetrical, being equilateral and approximately square but with each side of the'square being concave and defined by two straight edges 9-8, 7-l0, 8-9 and l0-7, respectively, which extend from the corners and meet at an obtuse angle mid-length of the respective side of the showcard. The edges 7-7 constitute a pair of edges having a divergence complementary to the convergence of the arms 3 of the bracket 1. The same applies to the pairs of edges 8-8, 9-9 and 10-10.

The display device is assembled by moving the arms 3 of the bracket slightly apart (this being possible by reason of the flexibility of the web 2) and inserting the showcard 6 by one of its pairs of edges, whereafter the arms are released. The particular pair of edges of the showcard to be engaged with the mounting bracket depends on the disposition of printing appearing on one or both faces of the showcard and whether the bracket 1 is to stand on a horizontal surface with its web 2 or be fixed to depend from a horizontal supporting surface or be fixed to a vertical supporting surface. The outer face of the web 2 may be provided with an adhesive for fixing the mounting bracket in any one of these positions. Even if the showcard is suspended, as shown in FIG. 3, it is securely held by the converging arms of the mounting bracket engaging the complementary pair of edges but in some cases additional retaining means may be desired, such as interengageable pips 11 on the showcard and recesses 12 in the mounting bracket.

I claim:

1. A display device comprising the combination of:

a showcard having opposed edges;

a mounting bracket for holding the showcard normal to a rigid supporting surface, the mounting bracket including;

a web which is longer than it is wide for location against the supporting surface; and

two arms extending one from each end of the web in relatively rigidly fixed position with respect to the web and receiving the opposed edges of the showcard therebetween, the arms being in such position relative to one another so as to converge toward their free ends;

the web being flexible in the direction which permits the arms to be splayed sufiiciently to allow introduction of the showcard therebetween; and

the opposed edges of the showcard being formed with converging portions which are substantially complementary to the converging arms of the mounting bracket such that the showcard is held in the bracket and is secured in place when the web is located against the support surface.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the showcard is approximately square but each side is defined by two straight lines which extend inwardly of the square'from two corners of the square and meet at an obtuse angle mid-length of said side.

3. The combination of claim 1 including co-operating retaining means carried by the arms of the bracket and the showcard to prevent unintentional dislodgement of the showcard lengthwise of the arms.

4. The combination of claim 1 including a channel extending along each arm of the bracket and receiving said opposed edges of the showcard whereby the showcard is secured against dislodgement in a direction transverse of the arms.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the web of the bracket is provided with means for securing the bracket to the supporting surface.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the securing means comprises an adhesive. 

1. A display device comprising the combination of: a showcard having opposed edges; a mounting bracket for holding the showcard normal to a rigid supporting surface, the mounting bracket including; a web which is longer than it is wide for location against the supporting surface; and two arms extending one from each end of the web in relatively rigidly fixed position with respect to the web and receiving the opposed edges of the showcard therebetween, the arms being in such position relative to one another so as to converge toward their free ends; the web being flexible in the direction which permits the arms to be splayed sufficiently to allow introduction of the showcard therebetween; and the opposed edges of the showcard being formed with converging portions which are substantially complementary to the converging arms of the mounting bracket such that the showcard is held in the bracket and is secured in place when the web is located against the support surface.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the showcard is approximately square but each side is defined by two straight lines which extend inwardly of the square from two corners of the square and meet at an obtuse angle mid-length of said side.
 3. The combination of claim 1 including co-operating retaining means carried by the arms of the bracket and the showcard to prevent unintentional dislodgement of the showcard lengthwise of the arms.
 4. The combination of claim 1 including a channel extending along each arm of the bracket and receiving said opposed edges of the showcard whereby the showcard is secured against dislodgement in a direction transverse of the arms.
 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the web of the bracket is provided with means for securing the bracket to the supporting surface.
 6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the securing means comprises an adhesive. 